Canon T2i Low Light Lenses
In this post we’ll look at some of the best indoor and low light lenses for the Canon Rebel T2i…
- Aperture and the T2i
- Best Low Light (Night) Lens for the Canon T2i
- Best Wide-Angle Low Light (Night) Lens for the Rebel T2i
- Other Notable Low Light Lenses for the T2i
Aperture and the T2i
The key to capturing great images in low light with no flash is a lens with a large aperture (low f/number).
A lens with a large aperture (low f/number) will give you faster shutter speeds while keeping the ISO down (cleaner looking images). Faster shutter speeds will eliminate “camera shake” and will also help “freeze” your subject to prevent motion blur.
The lowest f/number available is determined by your lens. When shopping for a lens, you’ll see a couple of numbers…
- The first number is usually the zoom range, which looks like this: 18-55mm
- The second number is usually the aperture range, which looks like this: f/3.5-f/5.6
The aperture range represents the lowest f/number at wide angle and at telephoto. So for the Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-f/5.6 kit lens…the lowest aperture f/number at 18mm is f/3.5 and the lowest aperture f/number at 55mm is f/5.6.
Best Overall Low Light (Night) Lens for the Canon T2i
Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 – I chose this lens as the best overall low light lens for the T2i based on the price, zoom range and low light performance. Here’s what I love…
- Constant f/2.8 aperture from wide-angle to telephoto
- Wonderful zoom range (great for indoor shooting situations)
- Fast autofocus
- Very sharp from edge to edge
- Top quality glass
- Light weight
- Beautiful “bokeh’ (blurry backgrounds)
- Fantastic price
Best Wide-Angle Low Light (Night) Lens for the Canon T2i
Tokina 12-24mm f/4 – This lens is built like a tank and allows you to capture beautiful wide-angle shots. Weather you’re outdoors shooting a city skyline or inside a small room taking a group photo, this lens will allow you to capture a very wide field of view. Sharpness is excellent across the zoom range and focus speed and accuracy is very good. Wide-angle lenses are very pricey and this Tokina lens is no exception. Canon offers a similar wide angle lens (the 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5), which has a similar aperture and zoom range, however, it’s roughly $350 more expensive. So for the price, the Tokina 12-24mm lens is actually a great value.
Some other great Low Light (Night) Lenses for the T2i
Below you’ll see a list of ‘prime’ lenses. Prime lenses are great because they come equipped with low f/numbers (large apertures) and produce very sharp images. Just be aware that ‘Prime’ lenses don’t zoom in or out. You’ll need to move around in order to get a composition that you’re happy with.
- Canon 28mm f/2.8 – Great for low light street photography
- Canon 35mm f/2 – Field of view very similar to the human eye
- Canon 50mm f/1.8 – Great value for low light portraits
- Canon 50mm f/1.4 – More expensive than the 50mm f/1.8, but slightly sharper and faster
- Canon 85mm f/1.8 – One of the best portrait lenses available, great for sports when you’re close to the action
- Canon 100mm f/2 – Fantastic sharpness, acts as a medium telephoto lens
If you have any questions about low light lenses for the Canon T2i, just add a comment to this post and I’ll get back to you lickety split!